Course Description
This is a selected course contributing to three of six hours of credit for the summer study abroad program. Maritime History of South Africa will emphasize the maritime and urban heritage of Cape Town, South Africa. Summer abroad activities will highlight the contribution of this strategic southern African seaport to global maritime history. We at the dominant role that ecological and heritage tourism currently play in South Africa.
We will explore the impact of the Cape sea port through time on the economy of the various seafaring nations and analyze the array of social interactions between seafarers, colonists and indigenous peoples through historical and archaeological journal articles and an array of primary sources including government documents, correspondence, period newspapers and material culture. Local Maritime Archaeologists and Museum Curators will present their research to our class. We will offer tours to maritime research centers and trips to local shipwrecks. The class includes a central focus on shipwreck management issues with discussions about public involvement and development of education courses, underwater heritage trails, conservation and curation of shipwreck artifact collections, and international research partnerships in maritime history and underwater archaeology.
The study will include at least five days documenting a beached shipwreck using a variety of traditional archaeological techniques. Students will conduct research in the Cape Town library and archives to more fully understand the historical context of the shipwrecks within South African history. Shipwreck documentation projects include Thomas Tucker a World War II American supply ship and the Kakapoa (1900) a South African supply ship that represent both South African and United States heritage. The Thomas Tucker is included on the South African shipwreck trail and will expose students to maritime heritage tourism concepts, plus add to the archaeological information on the wreck for trail stewards and heritage stakeholders.